Trash compactors for domestic use have been well received as they enable almost all household trash to be so compacted within plastic bags as to reduce the bulk of the trash to about 25 percent of its original volume.
Of the various types of mechanisms employed to reciprocate compacting heads, screw feeds directly connected to the heads are well adapted for use although operating at relatively slow rates but with a constant pressure and with the heads held stable. Linkage systems actuated by a screw are also well adapted for use in compactors as they provide a more rapid rate of head travel but necessitate means to stabilize the heads against tilting in one direction or another when driven in contact with trash offering uneven resistance. Linkage systems used for various purposes often consist of two sets of interconnected links.
Domestic compactors also present problems in use. Trash is compacted in plastic bags within a holder and often, because of lateral expansion of the trash being compacted, the bag, the holder or both are in sufficiently tight contact with the walls of the housing to make difficult the removal of the holder, the bag, or both.
As trash being compacted usually contains some article or articles capable of piercing the bags, it is not uncommon for a bag of compacted trash to rupture while being carried and, in addition, the bulk of such a bag results in its being carried in such a manner that sharp pieces may come in contact with and cut the person handling it or tear his clothing.